Why we stopped using WordPress for small business client sites (and moved to Astro)

Description and use

Migrating small business sites from WordPress to Astro reduced maintenance, eliminated plugins and separate hosting, and enabled client self‑updates via JSON without rebuilding.

Problem

WordPress installations for small business sites were overly complex, requiring many plugins, frequent maintenance, and costly hosting, leading to high overhead for simple 5‑20 page sites.

Outcome

Migrating from WordPress to Astro reduced maintenance overhead, eliminated plugin bloat, consolidated hosting, and enabled client self‑service updates via JSON files, improving quality of life for agencies and owners.

Workflow

• Map old URLs by pulling the sitemap and generating a /_redirects file to preserve existing Google rankings.
• Skip headless CMS for small clients; use /data/services.json or /data/hours.json files for simple updates.
• Deploy the Astro dist folder to novence.ai with npx novence deploy ./dist, keeping all client projects and forms in one place.
• Provide a /edit page on the client domain for owners to receive an email code and update JSON data without rebuilding the site.

Evidence

For years the default for any local business site was spinning up another WordPress install, throwing 10 plugins at it, and charging a monthly retainer just to keep Elementor and Contact Form 7 from breaking.

Source

Now that Claude Code and Cursor can build a clean Astro site in a couple hours, WordPress feels like way too much overhead for a 5 to 20 page business site.

Source

Instead of paying WP Engine per site or glueing together separate form and hosting accounts for every client, we deploy the Astro dist/ folder straight to novence.ai (npx novence deploy ./dist).

Source